I ran into the acronym FUD a few years ago when I was reading posts on social media platforms that specialize in investing and trading stocks and other financial assets. It was used mostly in the context of holding on to positions in stocks. At the time meme stocks like Game Stop and AMC were frequently discussed in social media. The idea was that if you held on to your position you could “squeeze the hedge funds that were betting against the stock by “shorting” it. This would make the stock go to stratospheric heights. Anyone that made you doubt the legitimacy of this strategy was merely spreading “FUD” and it should be ignored.
Christians are not putting their faith in a get rich gimmick strategy. They are acknowledging the depravity of the human condition and putting their faith in a savior who can rescue them through a redemption process that involves being born again and receiving eternal life. We become Christians by faith and living by faith becomes a crucial aspect of our everyday lives… “The righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:17).
It is much easier to believe something when you have experienced it with your five physical senses. Peter saw Jesus both during his earthly ministry and then after he was raised from the dead. However, he acknowledged those who did not have the benefit of seeing him with their eyes, but believed purely by faith, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (I Peter 1:8)
Studying the scriptures presents us with many things we must accept by faith:
- Our righteousness before God and the forgiveness of our sins based on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
- The fact that our lives are now to be guided by God’s word and the leading of his Holy Spirit.
- Believing that our prayers will be answered when we ask in the name of Jesus Christ.
However, our faith in is often tested by FUD. In the Book of Mark there is the story of the synagogue leader named Jairus who fell at Jesus’ feet and asked Jesus to heal his little daughter. His words were “Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live” (Mark 5:23). However, when people came and told Jairus that his daughter was dead he was hit with a wave of FUD. Jesus encouraged him by saying “Don’t be afraid, just believe” (Mark 5:36).
The clear lesson here is that we must learn to put aside FUD and lean into our faith. As all believers have experienced, putting aside FUD is often difficult, particularly if you are believing God for healing while your body is in pain. Faith is strengthened when we hear the word of God is made alive to us by the Holy Spirit. When our faith is being tested by FUD it is important to saturate ourselves with listening to the word of God. There are many YouTube videos where the word of God is spoken and this is an easy way to absorb the scriptures and let our minds be dominated by them.